The Sweetness
by KarasumaFirestorm
Summary: With the eighth grade over, what does the summer hold? LG. (complete)
1. Applied Science

Catering to my latest obsession, Lizzie McGuire. This story is almost painfully L/G, because that's the way I like it. ^^ Let's see...takes place after the events of "Bye Bye Hillridge Jr. High", but happens before any of the stuff in TLMM supposedly takes place. In other words, no Rome.  
*Karasuma*Firestorm*  
  
Please review? Please? Peace out.  
  
Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
The Sweetness: Applied Science  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
Lizzie sighed, adjusted her book bag better on her shoulder, and pulled at her locker door. It was stuck fast, as usual, and the sheer effort required to wrench it open knocked her to the floor. She rested on the cool tile a moment, wishing this didn't happen virtually every morning.  
  
"Hey, Lizzie, need some help?"  
  
Lizzie glanced upwards, and saw Gordo standing over her, extending a hand.  
  
"Yeah, sure, that'd be great." He hoisted her up, and she dusted off her jeans, irritated. "I can't wait until we get to high school. Then I'll finally be rid of this stupid locker."  
  
"I've been to high school," Gordo said, "and the lockers aren't much better there."  
  
"I think I may kill myself," Lizzie muttered. She reached into her locker and pulled out her books for the first couple classes. "At least today I'll get rid of these. Last day of junior high forever, can you believe it?"  
  
"I'm beside myself," Gordo said dryly, and Lizzie just rolled her eyes.  
  
"It totally bites that Miranda's still stuck in Mexico." The two started off to class, glancing at the hallway. Lizzie couldn't believe it, but she'd actually miss this place.  
  
"She'll be back for graduation," Gordo pointed out.  
  
"Yeah, but still."  
  
"Hey, you still have me," Gordo said, and they glanced at each other, smiling awkwardly. Lizzie felt her cheeks heat up as she quickly looked away. They hadn't talked at all about Lizzie's public display of affection on picture day, and sometimes Lizzie felt the issue hanging over them like a black cloud.  
  
"Yeah, still got good old Gordo." Okay, so it wasn't the most witty response ever, but she was kind of pressed.  
  
Gordo said nothing.  
  
They stopped in front of Lizzie and the absent Miranda's math class. Gordo was taking advanced math in another wing of the school. "This'll totally suck," Lizzie said. "It's the last day, so we won't be learning anything, and without you or Miranda, I'll have nothing to do."  
  
"I've found that doodling absently in your notebook passes time."  
  
Lizzie half-smiled. "Yeah, guess I'll have to do that."  
  
"I'll see you next period, then," Gordo said, and they stared at each other for a few seconds before heading in separate directions. Lizzie turned into her classroom, lost in thought about Gordo. She tossed her math book on the pile on the front desk, and slid into her seat.  
  
"Hey, McGuire, alone and friendless?" Kate sneered meanly as she passed. Lizzie didn't really hear it. She'd spent the past couple of weeks alone for first period, but today it really sucked royally. Everyone was breaking into groups, chattering about summer plans and what high school would be like. Lizzie put on her headphones, opened her notebook to a clean page, and began to doodle.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Lizzie and Gordo sat at their usual lunch table, in their usual spots. They'd thrown their backpacks on Miranda's spot, to try and ignore it's glaring emptiness. Although by this time they'd sort of gotten used to it.  
  
"You know, being here without Miranda doesn't bother me as much as it used to," Lizzie remarked, then stopped herself. That had sort of sounded like she was happy to be alone with Gordo. Which, she was, really. And why shouldn't she be? Gordo was her other best friend, and they'd known each other their entire lives. They'd spent plenty of time alone together.  
  
"Me neither," Gordo agreed through a mouthful of sandwich. He chewed and swallowed, and added, "I mean, I feel kinda bad about it, but she's been gone so long it's like I don't even notice anymore."  
  
"I know what you mean. Does that make us totally horrible people?"  
  
"No, no!" Gordo said quickly. "I mean, we miss her. We're just...comfortable."  
  
"Yeah. Our threesome has become a couple." Had she just said couple? "I mean, a duo. Our trio has become a duo."  
  
Gordo was staring at his sandwich. "Um, Lizzie, about picture day--"  
  
The bell rang, cutting him off. Lizzie wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. She knew Gordo liked her, or at least she thought she knew, but that didn't mean that he couldn't be trying to reject her. Which would totally suck. And what if something did happen? What would that do to their friendship? Or their friendship with Miranda? Would everything be totally weird? And it was not like she even knew for sure that she liked Gordo like that.  
  
"We should get to class," Lizzie said quickly.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
They looked at each other, and looked away quickly. They headed off to class, not talking.  
  
Between last day festivities, and worrying about Gordo all day, Lizzie was totally exhausted by the time the last bell rang. Gordo came up to her while she was cleaning out her locker. "Hey."  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Wanna...uh, wanna do something?"  
  
"What, like go to the Digital Bean?"  
  
"Or the mall, if you want. We could go shopping."  
  
"Gordo, you hate shopping."  
  
"Yeah, well, you seemed kinda sad, so..."  
  
He was being so sweet. It was weird. Well, it wasn't that weird, really, because Gordo was always a really nice guy. "It's just that I'm gonna miss this place, sorta," Lizzie said quickly.  
  
"Me too." There was a long, thoughtful pause, and finally Gordo said, "So, do you want to go to the mall?"  
  
Lizzie frowned. "I can't, I'm sorry. Today my mom and I are throwing pots."  
  
"Oh. Okay. Sounds fun."  
  
"Yeah, it is. But we can still walk home together."  
  
"Of course," Gordo said.  
  
"Great," Lizzie answered, and swept the last of the stuff in her locker into her book bag, then slammed the door shut for the last time. 


	2. Misdirected Hostility

Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee you.  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
The Sweetness: Misdirected Hostility  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
"Mom? I'm home!" Lizzie called, coming into the foyer, Gordo close behind.  
  
"In the kitchen, Lizzie."  
  
The two teenagers went into the kitchen, which was a virtual disaster area. There was clay all over the place, and Jo McGuire was looking a bit like a swamp creature. "Hey, sweetie. Hey, Gordo."  
  
"Hey, Mrs. McGuire. You look like you've already started."  
  
"Well, the clay was calling to me," Jo admitted.  
  
"Looks like it was calling to the floor and the walls, too," Sam McGuire observed, coming into the room. "You're cleaning this all up on your own, you know. Hey, Lizzie, hey, Gordo."  
  
"Hey, Dad."  
  
"Hey, Mr. McGuire."  
  
"You know, you're welcome to stay and throw some pots if you want, Gordo," Jo offered.  
  
Gordo shook his head. "No thanks. I should probably get home."  
  
"Your loss."  
  
Lizzie turned to Gordo. "Sure you don't wanna stay?"  
  
"Clay's not really my thing."  
  
"Right. I'm sorry about this afternoon."  
  
"It's not a problem, really."  
  
"Hey, I'm all yours tomorrow, okay? We can even go to the mall," Lizzie joked.  
  
Gordo grinned slightly and shook his head. "Yeah, whatever. I'll call you tonight."  
  
"Of course."  
  
They smiled at each other, and Gordo let himself out. Lizzie stared at the front door for a few minutes, before chirping to her parents, "I'm just going to go change, then I'll be down in a minute, okay, Mom?"  
  
"Take your time, honey," Jo said, preoccupied with slapping a lump of clay on the counter.  
  
"'Kay," Lizzie said, then barreled upstairs.  
  
Jo immediately dropped the clay. "Oh, my God."  
  
Sam straightened up, hitting his head on the fridge door, as he was immersed in it looking for sandwich fixings. He emerged. "What?"  
  
"Gordo. And Lizzie."  
  
Sam frowned. "I'm confused."  
  
"Did you see the way they were looking at each other? Something's shifted in their relationship."  
  
"I'm still confused."  
  
"They like each other, Sam."  
  
"Of course, they--"  
  
Jo sighed at her husband's obtuseness. "No, Sam, they like each other."  
  
"Wow. That's new. When did this happen?"  
  
"Only recently, is my guess."  
  
Jo would've liked to talk about it more, but Lizzie came downstairs.  
  
"I'm going to let you guys do your pot thing," Sam said quickly, grabbing a can of soda from the fridge and conveniently disappearance.  
  
Lizzie and Jo worked in silence for about half an hour, until Jo finally said, "So how was the last day of school?"  
  
"You know, the usual. Turn in the books, clean out the lockers, stuff like that."  
  
"You and Gordo must get pretty bored without Miranda."  
  
"Yeah, sometimes."  
  
"So what's up with you two?"  
  
Lizzie stopped molding her clay. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I'm just asking."  
  
"We might go to the mall tomorrow," Lizzie said.  
  
"Oh, that sounds fun."  
  
"Mhmm."  
  
"Lizzie...do you...like Gordo?"  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Lizzie said. "What?"  
  
"Well, you know--"  
  
"Mom! That is totally and completely unfair!"  
  
"Honey, I'm a mother. Mothers have to ask these sort of things of their children. It's okay if you do, you know," she added softly, trying to draw Lizzie out.  
  
"No, Mom, it's not okay! Because it's Gordo, and it would mess everything up."  
  
"How would it mess things up?"  
  
"'Cause he's my best friend," Lizzie muttered into her clay.  
  
"Your father is my best friend," Jo said lightly, but she knew this conversation was over. Lizzie had a lot to think about now.  
  
"I'm going...I'm going to go to my room for awhile," Lizzie stammered, stumbling as she pushed herself away from the counter. She kept her head down as she headed for the stairs.  
  
At that moment, the front door burst open, and Matt and Lanny sauntered in. "Lizzie looks upset," Matt observed. "We should go make things worse."  
  
"MATT!" Jo shouted, and Matt and Lanny stopped in their tracks. "Your sister has some things to think about, and if you even make a move towards that staircase for the rest of the afternoon, you're grounded."  
  
Like Lizzie didn't have enough problems. 


	3. What Was I Thinking

Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.  
  
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The Sweetness: What Was I Thinking  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
Gordo sat cross-legged on his bed, staring at his hands. It would figure. Anytime he came close to saying anything to Lizzie, something would interrupt him. Of course, the bell at lunch today was one of the few times it had been an outside force. The rest of the time it was just his own cowardice.  
  
It wasn't like he didn't have a million good reasons for never saying that one thing he so desperately needed to say. For one thing, the most important thing, was his fear of rejection. Normally he didn't care what others thought about him. The only people he ever really listened to were Miranda and Lizzie. Which was why her thoughts of him were so important. If she rejected him, one of the few people whose opinion he actually cared about, he didn't know what he'd do.  
  
On the other hand, there was the tiny factor that maybe her feelings weren't as elusive as he'd thought. Hadn't she kissed him on picture day? On the cheek, yeah, but it was completely random and therefore had to mean something. Lizzie wasn't the sort of person who did things for no good reason.  
  
He leaned backwards and collapsed on his pillow. He'd been sitting here for hours now, and he'd promised to call Lizzie. He reached for the phone and dialed the number without opening his eyes. Lizzie answered on the first ring. Gordo would've liked to think that she was waiting by the phone for his call, but more than likely she'd just gotten off with Miranda.  
  
"Hey." The three of them never had to announce themselves, even to each other's parents.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"How was Claywork 101?"  
  
"Not bad. We didn't talk much, but when we did, Mom totally got on my case."  
  
"Oh yeah? What about?"  
  
Lizzie didn't say anything for a second, then jumped in quickly with, "Oh! Nothing. Mom stuff. You know?"  
  
"Yeah," Gordo agreed, wondering where Lizzie's mind was, since it obviously wasn't on the conversation at hand.  
  
"Gordo? Are your mom and dad close? Like, are they friends with each other?"  
  
Where was this coming from? "Yeah, I guess so...I mean, I've never really thought about it, but yeah, I guess they're friends in addition to being husband and wife. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Well, I was talking to my mom and she said that Dad is her best friend."  
  
Suddenly Gordo had an epiphany. "Lizzie, what's this about?" he asked. Maybe he wouldn't have to take the stupid plunge and say anything. Maybe she'd say everything.  
  
"I dunno, I was just thinking..."  
  
"Lizzie, what happened on picture day?" he blurted. Okay, yeah, didn't see that one coming, and it was *his* brain.  
  
"I..."  
  
"You know what?" Gordo said, and he couldn't believe he was even talking about this. "We can't talk about this. At least, not on the phone. D'ya think your parents would let you meet me somewhere?"  
  
He expected her to protest, to say that it wasn't important, they didn't need to talk about it, he was being silly, hey, had he spoken to Miranda lately?  
  
"Yeah, I think they will. As long as it's not too far."  
  
"How about the park?"  
  
A pause. "Yeah, okay."  
  
"Ten minutes," Gordo said, stunned by his own audacity. He was actually taking control of the situation, for better or for worse.  
  
"Okay. I'll see you there."  
  
"See you."  
  
Gordo hung up, and sat up. Had he really just done that? Furthermore, could he keep up the blind confidence long enough to say what he needed to say?  
  
~~~~~  
  
Lizzie wandered downstairs, and located her parents, watching TV in the living room.  
  
"Hey, sweetie," Jo said. "Feeling better?"  
  
Lizzie nodded. "I guess. I don't know. Mom, can I meet Gordo in the park? We won't be long."  
  
"Are you kidding?" Sam said, finally looking up from the TV. "It's almost dinner time. You can't go out."  
  
"Which park, the one on Wilkins Street?" Jo said.  
  
"Yeah," Lizzie said.  
  
"Okay, have fun."  
  
"What?" Sam asked, as Lizzie said, "Thanks," and headed for the door.  
  
"Oh, and Lizzie?" Jo said. "If things go well, Gordo's welcome to join us for dinner." 


	4. Inner Light Spectrum

Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
You make me nervous, throat dry  
my brain is empty, don't know why  
but I saw you doing something  
which is really truly nothing  
-'all mixed up', 311  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
The Sweetness: Inner Light Spectrum  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
When Lizzie got there, it was already dusk. On the far end of the playground, a lone figure was sitting on the swings. Gordo. Lizzie strolled over, trying to gather her thoughts. "Hey," she said quietly.  
  
He was staring at the grass, toeing it, but he looked up when she approached. He looked...different. Not physically, but there was just something about him that seemed different, older, maybe. "Hey."  
  
Lizzie sat down on the swing next to him, and for a moment the both of them just sat there, not moving, staring at the darkening playground where they'd spent a lot of their childhood.  
  
"We'll have to talk about this eventually," Gordo said, breaking the peaceful silence. He added quickly, "But not just yet, if you don't want to."  
  
"'Kay," Lizzie said, wondering when she would have enough common sense and poise to say something other than monosyllabic mutterings.  
  
"I'm gonna let you decide when you want to," Gordo continued, "but I won't let this night end without us talking, okay?"  
  
Lizzie nodded, but realized he wasn't looking at her. "Sure." Gordo was usually so confident, but tonight he was in a different way. She sort of liked it, even if she didn't really want to talk about anything.  
  
Of course, she really did. Otherwise she wouldn't have brought up the married friends bit when she had, right?  
  
Stupid subconscious.  
  
They started to swing, venting their frustrations into pumping their legs and soaring into the night sky. Lizzie didn't know how much time had passed before she finally got tired of swinging and tired of the tension flowing between them, and slowed to a stop. Gordo, seeing this, quickly ceased swinging himself.  
  
"You...wanna talk about it?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah," Lizzie said in a small voice. Okay, here it was. Here it was, and Lizzie didn't know what to say. It had to be good, it had to be eloquent, she had to make him understand...she had to make *herself* understand. "Well, you know, it's not like I really kissed you," she blurted out cheerfully, her voice just a little too high. "I mean, it was just on the cheek..." Right. Way to totally make Gordo feel like an idiot. Nice play, McGuire.  
  
"Right. Yeah. I know. Totally," Gordo agreed. There was a pause, and his voice took on that serious tone. "But why did you do it? There's gotta be a reason."  
  
Did there have to be a reason? Things were so awkward right now, Lizzie was beginning to wish fervently that she'd never done it. She was beginning to wish that Kate had never said anything, that she hadn't read Gordo's message in the yearbook, that things could just go back to the way they had always been.  
  
But then again, it wasn't like she would mind being Gordo's girlfriend. She had gotten kind of jealous when he'd dated Brooke Baker, hadn't she? She'd been upset when he'd danced with Parker Mackenzie...  
  
Face it, girl, you like Gordo.  
  
"I just...felt like it," she said, shrugging slightly. Well, until she got her brain in proper working order, that was the best he was getting. "Were you upset?"  
  
"Confused, maybe, but not upset."  
  
Lizzie allowed herself to sway slightly in the gentle summer breeze. "Um, Gordo, do you...do you like me?"  
  
"Would you be mad? If I did?" Gordo asked.  
  
"Why would I be mad?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"'Cause, I dunno, we've been friends, best friends, for so long, and...it'd be weird."  
  
"Good weird or bad weird?"  
  
Gordo paused. "Good weird. 'Cause, Lizzie, I never thought I'd say this, at least not in person, and I've been trying for the longest time to say it, but," he paused to screw up his courage, or something like that, and Lizzie found that she was holding her breath, "I really, really like you a lot."  
  
Lizzie was blushing. No one had ever said that to her before. Well, Ronny had, and Frankie, and Larry Tudgeman had, but this was different because this was *Gordo*. And coming from Gordo, it seemed to mean a lot more.  
  
So did that mean that she liked Gordo?  
  
~~~~~  
  
Lizzie wasn't saying anything. Gordo felt his confidence ebbing, and he debated getting up and just leaving. He was stupid to have come here tonight, to have insisted that they talk about this. What had he been thinking? No good was ever to come from this whole thing, and he should just leave before he made a bigger idiot out of himself.  
  
But still, it felt good for him to have said it, because whether or not she reciprocated his feelings, at least she knew and understood why he'd been acting so weird lately. It was important to him that she understood. And even though he'd been so irrationally fearful before, he knew deep inside that Lizzie wouldn't hate him for having deeper feelings for her. Lizzie wasn't that kind of person. Whatever happened, they'd get through it.  
  
Of course, even with this mantra in mind, he couldn't quell the knot of fear rapidly building upon itself in his gut, the one that said 'Lizzie's going to think you're a freak and she'll never speak to you again.' And of course, even if they'd still be friends after this, he had a feeling he'd always have that pit of disappointment marring everything.  
  
"You know, this is really stupid," Gordo found himself muttering. "I should go. I'm sorry for making you come out here."  
  
This was the worst idea in the history of bad ideas.  
  
"Don't be sorry," Lizzie said as Gordo stood up. He glanced at her, but she was fascinated by her shoes. "Gordo, I think it's really cool that you were brave enough to ask me out here to say something as big as that. I mean, it's not like I ever had the courage to say that sort of stuff to Ethan."  
  
Ethan Craft. The bane of Gordo's existence. Well, it wasn't like he was a bad guy, just dim-witted. With decent hair (Gordo, being a guy, didn't see the fuss over the hair). He didn't for the life of him know why Lizzie was so obsessed over the guy considering talking to him was like talking to a recently defrosted Neanderthal. But whatever made Lizzie happy made him happy, too, in a weird way.  
  
"I'm really proud of you," Lizzie continued, and Gordo's heart sank. She envied his honesty and (belated) courage, and she was proud of him. And while this statement meant a lot to Gordo considering its source, it didn't exactly bode well for them being anything more than friends.  
  
"Thanks, I think," Gordo said dully. His leg muscles were tense and aching, waiting for the brain's command to run as fast as he could.  
  
"And I guess it's sort of inspiring, because I feel like I can tell you that I like you, too."  
  
Gordo shut off. His body froze, his mind numbed, and he didn't know what to do with himself. He had been hoping for that sort of answer, but that didn't mean he'd been expecting it, and it had completely blindsided him. "R--Really?"  
  
When he looked at her again, this time she was meeting his eyes, and she had the prettiest blue eyes. Gordo felt warm all over.  
  
"Yeah," Lizzie said quietly.  
  
Gordo sat down again, and they both looked at the ground. "So...what do we do now?" Gordo asked. He tried to keep his voice somber, but he was absolutely elated. Lizzie liked him back. Lizzie liked him back!  
  
"I dunno...I guess we go out."  
  
Gordo didn't to be the voice of concern, but he had to ask. "You don't think it'd be too weird?"  
  
"It'd be weird at first, but then...not so weird." She didn't sound upset; that was good.  
  
"Would you be okay with it?" Gordo asked.  
  
She smiled. "Yeah, I think I would. Would you?"  
  
Definitely. "Yeah. So, ah...Lizzie, will you go out with me?"  
  
She smiled at him. She had a great smile. "Sure."  
  
Gordo grinned, the sort of grin that you couldn't erase if you tried. This could very well be the best day of his life. 


	5. Life's Not A Race

Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
The Sweetness: Life's Not A Race  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
"So, Gordo, do you want to come over for dinner?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"Yeah, sure," Gordo said. Lizzie smiled at him. This was easy so far. They stood up, and started across the park. "So what are you going to do tomorrow?" Gordo asked. "First day of vacation."  
  
"I already told you, I'd hang out with you tomorrow," Lizzie said.  
  
"You know, you don't have to hang out with me just because you feel obligated," Gordo said.  
  
"Are you kidding? I hang out with you because I want to, Gordo. You're fun and you're funny and you're smart and you're the best friend a person could hope for. That's why I hang out with you." Lizzie grinned at him. "And that's why I'm going out with you." Going out with Gordo. It was weird to say, weird to think. But it made sense in its own way.  
  
"You really mean that?" Gordo said.  
  
Lizzie was stunned. How could Gordo --Gordo, king of confidence-- not know how cool he was? "Of course I mean that! You're one of the most awesome people I know."  
  
Gordo laughed and shook his head. "Lizzie, you rock. Don't ever change."  
  
"Right back at you," Lizzie said, laughing. Out of the millions of times she'd written that, and the millions of times she'd received it, only one of those had ever meant anything.  
  
As they started down onto Lizzie's street, Gordo reached for her hand. Lizzie blushed in the dark, but squeezed his hand briefly. She couldn't wipe the smile from her face. This was good. This was nice.  
  
"Your parents won't be weirded out?" Gordo asked.  
  
"My mom sort of encouraged it," Lizzie admitted. "That was the weird Mom stuff I was telling you about. Dad might be a bit freaked out, but it's not like we're going to be totally mushy at the table or anything."  
  
"Or ever," Gordo said.  
  
"Not a mushy person, Gordo?" Lizzie teased.  
  
"You know me," he shrugged.  
  
"This is my door," Lizzie observed. "Ready?"  
  
"Yeah," Gordo said. Glancing at each other, the simultaneously let go of each other's hand, grinning embarrassedly. Facing the McGuire clan would be bad enough without the hand-holding factor. "Um, Lizzie? I just wanted you to know that I'm...really happy now. Really happy."  
  
Lizzie smiled, and nearly blushed again. Gordo was so sweet and caring. He made Ronny look like the world's biggest chump. Seriously, shoelaces? Even Tudgeman, sweet in his own bizarre, Tudge-y way, could take a page out of Gordo's book. Because even when Gordo was talking about himself, right now he made Lizzie feel like the most important person in the world. "Me, too."  
  
~~~~~  
  
Under the table, Gordo kicked Lizzie. Lizzie tried her best to hide a squeal and kick him back without alerting her parents to it. It was a game they played a lot at dinners, seeing who could go the longest without being caught. Jo McGuire kept looking at the two of them and smiling, which made their game even more of a challenge. Of course, Jo thought that their spontaneous giggles were because of young love, and not under the table kickfests. Matt whined that Gordo got to stay over for dinner, but Lanny had had to go home. Sam McGuire, like his son, was clueless.  
  
"So, how was the last day of school, kids?" Jo asked.  
  
Lizzie kicked Gordo quite fiercely, all the while maintaining an innocent expression, and said, "Pretty good. It kind of sucked without Miranda there, though."  
  
"Oh, I'm sure you two made do," Jo said with a fond, motherly smile. It was all Lizzie could do to refrain from rolling her eyes. "How was your day, Matt?" her mother asked, looking at the youngest McGuire, and at that moment, Gordo retaliated with a sharp kick. Lizzie squeaked, and her mother turned to glare sharply at her. Lizzie flashed a quick smile. "Hiccups," she explained. "Mom, Gordo and I are both done with dinner, can we be excused?"  
  
"Sure," Jo said slowly, giving her a suspicious look.  
  
Lizzie jumped from her seat and almost fell over from the sharp pain in her leg. She smiled awkwardly.  
  
Gordo got up and began to clear his plate. "Gordo, that's not necessary," Lizzie hissed, grabbing his arm. "Let's go."  
  
"Thanks for dinner, Mrs. McGuire, it was great," Gordo said, and Lizzie all but dragged him out of the room.  
  
Once out of her parents' sight, Lizzie put her weight on her good leg and limped to the back porch. "Geez, Gordo, you could have killed me!"  
  
"Well, you deserved it!" Gordo said as they both collapsed weakly to the ground. "That last kick of yours is going to leave me black and blue."  
  
"So I win," Lizzie said.  
  
"No way! You kept...squeaking. And your mom totally knew something was up. I win."  
  
"You so don't win!" Lizzie said, but had no argument to back it up, just a stern, 'you better not cross me' look.  
  
"Fine," Gordo consented, "we'll call it a draw."  
  
"It's not a draw! I win!"  
  
"You don't win, I got in the last kick."  
  
"A rematch, then!" Lizzie said, desperate to win.  
  
"No way," Gordo said quickly, rubbing his leg. "I'm going to be sore for weeks."  
  
"I'll race you, then," Lizzie said. "Whoever wins is declared table kicking champion."  
  
"Are you insane? Don't your legs hurt?"  
  
"Burning with pain," she said cheerfully. "All the more reason why the winner is declared champion, because they won through their suffering."  
  
"Fine," Gordo said, throwing up his hands in defeat. "You're completely insane. You won't let me win, even though I so obviously did, so we'll try this little 'contest' of yours, okay?"  
  
Lizzie allowed herself a triumphant grin. "Sweet."  
  
"From the fence to the tree, around, and back," Gordo said, mapping their track out in the air with his finger. The two teenagers got slowly to their feet, hobbled over to the fence, and assumed runner's stances.  
  
"On your mark," Lizzie said, "get set...GO!"  
  
They took off, hobbling quickly, with Gordo in the lead. As they ambled around the tree, though, he lost his footing slightly on a small rock, and fell back a step. Lizzie actually felt some of the pain ebbing from her leg, and her cramp was starting to feel good enough that she got a second wind, and made it to the fence a good five seconds before Gordo. Grinning, laughing, she slid down to the grass. "I win!" she called triumphantly to the night, and Gordo sat next to her.  
  
"I can't believe that first you kick me to death, then you make me race you, and now I have to walk home," Gordo complained, rubbing his leg.  
  
"My mom can probably drive you home," Lizzie said, breathing slightly heavily. They sat in silence awhile, the only sound being some crickets, and maybe an owl, and their labored breathing.  
  
"I should go," Gordo said, and it sounded like a shout in the stillness.  
  
"Mmm. Yeah," Lizzie said, beginning to feel pretty tired. Between racing in the backyard, the last day of school, pot throwing, and a lot of relationship drama, she was long overdue for a nap. With a heavy sigh, she leaned over and rest her head on Gordo's shoulder. She was just *tired*.  
  
Gordo knew he was going to get in trouble if he stayed much later. His parents had been gone when he'd first left for the park, and when he'd gotten to Lizzie's he'd called and left a message saying where he was. But even though tomorrow was the first day of summer vacation, they'd still get a little upset. Problem was, he didn't really want to leave. He was having fun, a lot of fun, and now Lizzie was leaning up against him, she liked him, she liked him back, she was his *girlfriend*, and he didn't want to leave.  
  
"Gordo?" It was Mrs. McGuire, coming out onto the back porch. Lizzie sat up immediately, and tried to look like she hadn't been almost asleep on Gordo. "Your parents called; I'm going to give you a ride home, okay?"  
  
"Sure, Mrs. McGuire," Gordo said, getting to his feet and pretending like his leg still didn't hurt. He took Lizzie's hand and helped her up for the second time that day, and he remembered when he helped her up that morning, back when they were still just friends, and god, how much had changed in the course of one day?  
  
"Can I come, Mom?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"Yeah, sure. I'll be in the car in a second." Mrs. McGuire disappeared into the house, Gordo and Lizzie smiled sheepishly at each other and went to the car. Gordo was still holding her hand loosely.  
  
They sat in the backseat, cracking jokes and acting like they always did, because they were friends first. Unbeknownst to them, Jo McGuire would glance in the rearview mirror and smile at the two of them. "Here we are," she announced, pulling up to the curb in front of the Gordon house.  
  
"Thanks for the ride, Mrs. McGuire," Gordo said, unlocking his seatbelt and opening the door.  
  
"No problem," she said cheerfully. "I take it we'll be seeing you tomorrow?"  
  
"Yeah," he said, looking over his shoulder and smiling at Lizzie. "See you tomorrow," he said.  
  
"Bye, Gordo," Lizzie said softly. Gordo waved, got out of the car, and walked up to his house. Lizzie watched until he got inside, then jumped out of the backseat and ran around the car to climb in the front.  
  
"Happy, much, Lizzie?" Jo McGuire teased.  
  
"Mom, please," Lizzie said, rolling her eyes. But she was still smiling.  
  
"I'm so happy for you two."  
  
"How'd you know?" Lizzie asked suddenly. "Mom intuition?"  
  
"Something like that. I thought you were worried it'd be all 'weird.'"  
  
"Well, so far it isn't. But when Miranda comes back home it might get weird."  
  
"Maybe you should call her and warn her," Jo suggested.  
  
"She's going to hate me," Lizzie moaned, burying her head in her hands.  
  
"Well, unless she really liked Gordo herself, and I never saw any evidence to that, don't worry," Jo added quickly, seeing the panicked look on her daughter's face, "I don't think she will. Just call her, Lizzie. She's your best friend; she'll understand."  
  
Lizzie nodded and stared out the window. 


	6. You Wouldn't Believe

Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.  
  
Author's note: come on, now, high-powered execs...it's a site called "fanfiction.net". Which means, it's by fans. Which means, obviously none of us own the things we write about, otherwise you would SEE this stuff on the show. Really, now.  
  
Author's note dos: Thanks so much for your great reviews, encouragement is always appreciated. :)  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
The Sweetness: You Wouldn't Believe  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
The next morning, after breakfast, Lizzie decided to call Miranda. She hoped that Miranda was actually at the house and not off learning her heritage. Not that Lizzie wasn't all for that, but this was sort of important.  
  
A woman answered the phone in Spanish, and Lizzie could only stammer, trying to remember any Spanish she had ever absorbed. She was having no luck.  
  
"Oh, Lizzie, it's you!" Mrs. Sanchez said. "My apologies, I didn't check the caller ID. How are you?"  
  
"Great, Mrs. Sanchez," Lizzie said. "Uh, is Miranda in?"  
  
"You caught her just in time. We were about to go to the market, so it'll have to be quick, okay?"  
  
"Yeah, okay," Lizzie said, biting her lip.  
  
Miranda got on the line. "Hey, Lizzie."  
  
"Hey, um, Miranda," Lizzie said nervously. "Listen, um, I have something to tell you."  
  
"Good news or bad news?"  
  
"It all depends on how you look at it, I guess."  
  
"I'm intrigued," Miranda said. "What's the dish?"  
  
"Well...I have a boyfriend."  
  
"Boyfriend!" Miranda squealed, so loudly that Lizzie had to hold the phone away from her ear. "Like, an official boyfriend?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"That's good news! Who is it? Is it Ronny again?"  
  
"No!" Lizzie said quickly. "No way."  
  
Miranda's voice lowered dramatically. "Ethan?" she near-whispered.  
  
"As if!" Lizzie found herself saying, and even she was surprised at the vehemance in her voice.  
  
"Wow, someone got over Ethan Craft fast," Miranda observed.  
  
"C'mon, Miranda, he's cute and all, but it's not like he's smart. Or interesting."  
  
"Yeah, there is that...but he's *so* cute. So who is it, then? Anyone I know?"  
  
"Yeah, actually." Lizzie was practically chewing her lip off with nervousness. "It's...um, well, it's Gordo."  
  
The line was so quiet, Lizzie was afraid they'd been cut off. "Miranda? Miranda, you there?"  
  
"Did I hear you say that you were going out with Gordo?"  
  
"Yeah," Lizzie said quietly, afraid that she had put a match to a fuse.  
  
"As in, David Gordon?"  
  
The question was absurd. "Do you know any other Gordos?"  
  
"Oh my God!" Miranda squealed. "So he finally asked you out!"  
  
"Wait, wait, wait...you *knew*?" Lizzie demanded.  
  
"Chill, girl! It's not like he told me or anything, so don't go crazy on me. It was kind of obvious that he liked you, I'm surprised it took you so long to figure it out. But I never even guessed that you liked him, too."  
  
"Well, it just kind of came out of nowhere," Lizzie admitted.  
  
"You know," Miranda started, but was cut off when someone in the background yelled, "MIRANDA! CHICA! Let's move!"  
  
Lizzie and Miranda laughed. "Guess that means I better get going."  
  
"Guess so," Lizzie agreed.  
  
"Listen, I'll call you later tonight, and we'll talk about it, okay?"  
  
Lizzie smiled, immensely relieved that Miranda was so cool about it. "Okay, sounds great."  
  
"Oh, and Lizzie? I'm really happy for you guys."  
  
"That means a lot. Thanks, Miranda."  
  
"Anytime. Adios."  
  
No sooner had Lizzie hung up with Miranda than the phone rang again. "Hello?"  
  
"Hey." It was Gordo.  
  
"Hey, Gordo," Lizzie said, a smile instantly lighting up her face.  
  
"What's up?"  
  
"Not much. Just got off the phone with Miranda."  
  
"Aw, and here I was, thinking you were waiting by the phone for my call," Gordo joked.  
  
"Who's to say I wasn't?" Lizzie replied. "For all you know, I could have just gotten bored and called Miranda to kill time."  
  
"I'll buy that," Gordo said glibly. "So, how is Miranda?"  
  
"Good, I guess. We didn't get to talk long." Lizzie paused. "Um, I told her about us."  
  
Gordo was silent for a second or two. "Oh."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"So...what did she say?"  
  
"She was...okay with it. She said she was really happy for us."  
  
"Lizzie, I know you're worried, but everything's going to be okay, I swear," Gordo said.  
  
"Yeah. So...what do you want to do today?"  
  
"Well, that's up to you."  
  
"We could go to the mall. You *owe* me a mall trip," she teased.  
  
"I guess I do. But do you really want to use it up so soon?"  
  
"I know that's just a clever ruse to get out of going to the mall, but on the other hand, you have a point. How about we go enjoy the outdoors?"  
  
"Am I still talking to Lizzie McGuire?"  
  
"Ha, ha," Lizzie said. "You know, Gordo, I risked a lot to go out with you."  
  
"Oh yeah? What did you risk?"  
  
"My friendship with Miranda, my friendship with you, my budding romance with Ethan Craft..."  
  
"You mean your you wish romance with Ethan Craft."  
  
"Yeah, well, I risked a lot anyway. And Ethan Craft is going to be crying into his pillow nightly that he lost me."  
  
"Isn't that what I've always told you?" Gordo said. "Figures now you'd start to listen."  
  
"Better late than never."  
  
"So outdoors, huh?" Gordo said, clearly done with the subject of Ethan Craft. Lizzie felt guilty for bringing it up. All this time, Gordo had liked her, and she'd just prattled on about Ethan...imagine how he must have felt. Totally sucky! She felt horrible thinking about it.  
  
"Yeah, outdoors. Like, the park, or minigolf, or something."  
  
"Minigolf sounds fun. I bet I could kick your butt in it."  
  
Lizzie laughed. "You wish!" Somehow, being competitive with Gordo took a lot of stress out of her. "I'll completely cream you. I am the goddess of minigolf."  
  
"Since when?"  
  
"Since today," Lizzie declared.  
  
"We'll see. Listen, my parents aren't home, so do you think I could get a ride?"  
  
"Your parents are never home."  
  
"Don't remind me," Gordo said darkly.  
  
"Yeah, let me ask my mom. Is an hour good for you?"  
  
"Sure thing."  
  
"Great. I can't wait."  
  
"Me, neither." 


	7. Don't Let Me Down

Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.  
  
Author's note: Thanks so much for your great reviews, encouragement is always appreciated. :)  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
Must I always take a back seat?   
Must I always be your clown?   
Did you ever really love me?   
Were you always coming down?  
-'coming down', starsailor  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
The Sweetness: Don't Let Me Down  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
The mighty McGuire station wagon pulled up in front of Mount Rushmore Mini Golf, and Jo smiled fondly at the two in the backseat. "First date, huh?" she said.  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Please, Mom."  
  
"Well, it is."  
  
"Gordo and I are just going mini-golfing, Mom, we've done this a million times before."  
  
"Actually, I don't think we've ever done this before," Gordo interjected, but Lizzie silenced him with a quick punch to the arm. "I mean, thanks for the ride, Mrs. McGuire."  
  
"Anytime," Jo said. "Have fun."  
  
Gordo clamored out of the car, and Lizzie lingered long enough to say, "Could you please try not to embarrass me anymore, Mom?"  
  
"Sorry, honey, but it's just Gordo, and I embarrass you all the time in front of Gordo."  
  
"Yeah, well, this is different."  
  
On the sidewalk, Gordo was shifting his weight back and forth. "Looks like your boyfriend is waiting," Jo pointed out.  
  
Lizzie exhaled sharply. "Mom!" But she climbed out, and Jo smiled amusedly.  
  
"Sorry," Lizzie said to Gordo, keeping her head down.  
  
"It's okay," Gordo said. "She's right, I guess, this *is* kind of our first date."  
  
"So far it's turning out okay," Lizzie said. "My first date with Ronny was rollerblading --which was mostly me just falling over-- and my first date with Frankie was getting mobbed at the Digital Bean."  
  
"And making me play decoy," Gordo said sourly. Lizzie realized too late that talking about her other boyfriends was a bad idea.  
  
"Your first date with Brooke wasn't bad, you went to a real restaurant," Lizzie blurted, then mentally kicked herself. When was she going to start *using* her brain?  
  
"It was going great until you and Miranda showed up and made total fools out of all of us," Gordo said.  
  
"More us than you two," Lizzie said. "Well, um, I just wanted to see what was going on...I was...I was jealous," she admitted, blushing a little, as she remembered how hard she'd tried to deny her feelings of jealousy. And how hard she had tried to deny any feelings for Gordo that might have been more than friendship. Gordo was the perfect guy! And she'd been too stupid to ever realize it. At least things had worked out okay.  
  
"You never said that."  
  
"There were a lot of things you never said," Lizzie defended herself.  
  
"Can we just not talk about this?" Gordo said. "I mean, it all worked out okay, didn't it? So we shouldn't have to go and psychoanalyze everything a million times." With that, he took her hand slightly, and they went up to the front desk to rent clubs and balls.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"Two games," Gordo said, too preoccupied with conducting a one-handed search for his wallet to look up. He knew that in a few seconds he and Lizzie would have a variety of mini-golf supplies to carry, so he wanted to relish every second possible that he got to hold her hand.  
  
"Whoa," a familiar voice said, and Gordo, head still down, wished fervently that it didn't belong to who it did. "Lizzie, Lizzie, *Lizzie*! And Gor-don! What're you guys doing here?"  
  
Gordo looked up. Of course it was him, it couldn't have been anyone else. Ethan Craft. "We're here to play mini-golf, Ethan," Gordo said, unable to keep the distaste out of his voice.  
  
"That is so cool," Ethan enthused.  
  
"What are you doing here, Ethan?" Lizzie said, instantly flashing him the flirty grin, and flipping her hair over her shoulder. Gordo tried to ignore the knot building in his stomach.  
  
"I *work* here!" Ethan said, grinning widely and moving so the sunlight caught his hair in a more flattering light, a gesture that Gordo wasn't sure was intentional or not. Ethan didn't have the brains for any move to be intentional.  
  
"That is so cool," Lizzie said. "A summer job, or a more permanent thing?" She was being giggly Lizzie, the giggly Lizzie that only someone like Ethan Craft --or Ronny Jacobs or Frankie Muniz or Aaron Carter-- brought out. The knot grew tighter. How come being around Gordo never made Lizzie giggly? He found the giggling obnoxious, but that didn't mean he didn't want to be special enough to warrant it.  
  
Just relax, he told himself. Yeah, she's giggly, big deal. She's holding *your* hand.  
  
Lizzie let go of Gordo's hand.  
  
She used the newly free hand not to pick up something, or write anything, or do anything important enough that it would preside over letting go of Gordo's hand. She used it to help her lean against the counter and smile at Ethan.  
  
Gordo's body turned against him. His vision grew red, his heart leapt into his throat, his voice failed, his lungs failed, his stomach twisted itself into a full-on lanyard. This wasn't happening. One day, not even a full day, more like half a day, and that wasn't counting the time when they were asleep, so it was really only like a few hours. A few measly hours, and suddenly he was nothing again. He went from being Gordo the boyfriend to Gordo the meaningless sidekick. He went from someone that she called up her best friend in Mexico to talk about, to someone whose hand she dropped so it would be easier to flirt with Ethan Craft.  
  
"Ethan, could we just have our clubs, please?" Gordo found himself choking out. What he really wanted to do, more than anything, was go home. But he lived too far away to walk, and he didn't want to have to call up Mrs. McGuire and ask for a ride and explain everything.  
  
Ethan looked over at Gordo, and grinned as he regained his common sense. "Yeah! Your clubs! On it!" And he disappeared into the back to pick them out. 


	8. From Chaos

Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.  
  
Author's note: Thanks so much for your great reviews, encouragement is always appreciated. :)  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
Now it's morning but last night's on my mind  
There's something I need to get off my chest  
And no matter may come to shine,  
The dream will always be mine  
-'all mixed up', 311  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
The Sweetness: From Chaos  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
"Ethan, could we just have our clubs, please?"  
  
Lizzie broke out of her trance and glanced over at Gordo. He looked angry. He looked...sad. He looked *hurt*.  
  
Suddenly Lizzie realized that she'd been flirting with Ethan Craft. She had let go of Gordo's hand to do it, too. What crappy kind of girlfriend was she?  
  
"Oh my god," she started to say. "Gordo, I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking, I--"  
  
Gordo shook his head. Lizzie had seen that expression a few times before, like when Gordo had found out that Parker Mackenzie hadn't wanted to go to the dance with him because he was short. At the time, Lizzie had wanted to kill Parker for making Gordo upset. And now this time, it was all her fault, *she* had been responsible for that dejected expression. "Don't worry about it," he said, but the offhand remarked was weighted down by his tone, monotonous and edged with the hurt of someone who'd been betrayed by the person they cared about most.  
  
"Gordo, really, it was nothing, I didn't mean it, I swear, it was just what I always do, you know? Like, my brain switches on to autopilot, and I just can't help it." She was babbling. She always babbled when she was nervous or desperate.  
  
"I don't want to talk about it, okay?"  
  
Geez, first the ex-boyfriend thing, and now the flirting with Ethan thing. And it was only their first date. Lizzie was the singular most horrible girlfriend in the history of horrible girlfriends.  
  
"Gordo, please, I'm really really sorry, okay?"  
  
"Lizzie, just drop it, okay?" Gordo said sharply. "It's not like there's anything you can say to make this up to me." He was right. No matter how good the rest of the date was --although it was unlikely that it'd get any better (really now, though, it couldn't get any worse)-- this would be hanging over them the entire time. There wasn't anything she could say to make it better.  
  
But there was something she could *do* to make it better, to prove to Gordo that she really *did* like him.  
  
"Here you guys go, you're all set," Ethan said, coming back with his hands full of clubs, balls, pencils, and scorecards. Ethan piled the stuff on the counter, but Lizzie and Gordo were still looking at each other. "Uh, Lizzie?"  
  
Lizzie leaned over and kissed Gordo.  
  
"Whoa," Ethan said, and for once and perhaps the only time in his life, Ethan's statement was perfect and eloquent, because 'whoa' was the only thing Lizzie could think of.  
  
Gordo stared at her, slightly open-mouthed, confused, and definitely stunned.  
  
"I'm sorry, okay?" she said feebly. "Really sorry."  
  
Gordo nodded.  
  
"Whoa," Ethan said again, and this time, they looked at him. He looked back and forth between the two of them. "You guys are, like...dating?"  
  
Lizzie nodded, and took Gordo's hand. "You bet we are," she said with conviction.  
  
"Way to go, Gor-don!" Ethan said enthusiastically, holding up his hand for a high five, which Gordo slapped (with his other hand, of course). Lizzie was surprised. First of all, Gordo was engaging in 'macho' activities. Second of all, they were with Ethan. And lastly, Ethan didn't seem at all upset that she was going out with Gordo. More like, happy. So he really never had been interested in her.  
  
Of course, she never really thought he had.  
  
And none of it mattered now.  
  
She was forced to let go of Gordo's hand again so they could collect their stuff. But he was smiling at her, slightly, and she had a feeling he wasn't that upset anymore. 


	9. I Told Myself

Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.  
  
Author's note: thanks so much to everyone for your reviews! ^_^ Hearing that people like it makes me even happier to write it. So thank you!  
And for those of you who thought Gordo wouldn't let the situation go that easily, you're absolutely right.  
*Karasuma*Firestorm*  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
The Sweetness: I Told Myself  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
Gordo didn't know what to feel. On the one hand, Lizzie liked him, she really liked him, she had kissed him in front of Ethan to prove it. Well, there was the slightest chance that maybe, just maybe, she had done it to make Ethan jealous. But Ethan had seemed really happy that Gordo and Lizzie were going out, and Lizzie didn't seem that upset that Ethan was happy, so maybe it wasn't a plot to make Ethan jealous.  
  
Then again, on the other hand, she did it as a gesture to win him over, to make him forgive and forget that she'd been flirting with Ethan Craft. Which he couldn't and wouldn't forget that easily.  
  
Besides, the whole thing felt cheap.  
  
Gordo had promised himself that he wouldn't bring it up, that it would be a fun afternoon, completely angst-free, but somewhere around the eighth hole he realized how forced their conversation was --when they spoke at all.  
  
"I can't believe you were flirting with Ethan Craft," he voiced his displeasure finally, torn between being glad they were getting it out in the open, and wanting to kick himself in the head.  
  
"Gordo, I'm sorry, okay? I really really am. Please," Lizzie said, and the look on her face was so pitiful he felt a lot of his anger ebbing.  
  
But still, he couldn't get it out of his mind. "You said you finally realized what an idiot he was."  
  
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean it's that easy to get over him," she retorted, looking slightly angry.  
  
"Funny, you got over it pretty quickly for Ronny Jacobs and Frankie Muniz," Gordo spat, and gave his golf ball a firm *whack!*. The yellow ball sailed clear off the green and rolled down a nearby hill. Gordo ignored it.  
  
"Well, you know, that was different!" Lizzie said, her voice raising an octave as she ran to defend herself. "I mean, this time I can't get all gushy over you so quickly because I've known you forever, Gordo, and there isn't much about you that I don't know! This whole thing is weird, and hard, and you know it!"  
  
Gordo sighed, dropped his club unceremoniously, and sat down next to the little '8' flag. "You spend all of your time gushing over Ethan Craft, and you've never looked at me like that, even now that I'm your boyfriend." Saying 'boyfriend' felt so weird, especially considering he hardly felt like one the way that Lizzie had been acting.  
  
"That's not true..." Lizzie protested weakly, but he had a feeling she knew he was right.  
  
"You always fall for these completely vapid pretty boys, and then you go around and you tell me *I'm* a great person because I'm smart and fun."  
  
"Well, you are."  
  
"But then you turn around, and you date the cute idiot. So what does that say about how you feel about me? I'm the guy you call up to talk to about the other, cuter guys that you'd *rather* date."  
  
"Gordo, come on, don't be like that."  
  
"Tell me I'm wrong, Lizzie. Just tell me I'm wrong."  
  
She said nothing, and sat down, on the opposite side of the tee, so that their backs were facing each other. "You always tell me I'm pretty," Lizzie said slowly. "But that's only because I'm so hard on myself, that I need reinforcement, and you give it to me. You...you don't *care* what people think, Gordo, so you're never hard on yourself, and I've never had to reinforce you, you know? I do think you're cute, Gordo, it's just never been the right time to say it, you know?"  
  
"So...what, Lizzie? What am I to you? Honestly. Because if you don't want to do this, if you still like Ethan or whatever, then we should just stop now before one of us gets seriously hurt."  
  
"I like you, Gordo, I really do. I like you more than Ethan because I can talk to you about anything and everything, and with Ethan I have to talk about things like...I don't know, proper hair care and stuff." Lizzie sighed. "I want to do this. I do. It's weird, and it's hard, and I've screwed up so much already, but I really want to do this. Please believe me."  
  
They sat in silence for awhile, unmoving. Finally Gordo turned around, tapped Lizzie on the shoulder, and when she looked at him, he cradled her face slightly, and kissed her. This was a much better first kiss, he decided.  
  
"Um, excuse me, could you two get a room or something? Some of us are trying to enjoy our afternoon."  
  
Gordo and Lizzie, embarrassed, jumped away from each other and stood off quickly. Kate and Claire were standing there, and they looked shocked when they realized just who had been kissing at the eighth hole.  
  
"Whoa," Claire said finally, "dorks on parade. This is all Discovery Channel and stuff."  
  
"Lizzie, can I talk to you a minute?" Kate said suddenly.  
  
"Say what?" Lizzie and Claire chorused.  
  
Kate huffed and grabbed Lizzie's arm. "Come *here*, McGuire," she said, and dragged Lizzie halfway across the golf course. She stared at Lizzie seriously. "Are you and Gordo, like...a thing?" she asked.  
  
Lizzie stared at her defiantly. Today had been such a crappy day, excluding the last two minutes, of course, and she just wasn't in the mood for Kate being Kate. "Yeah, we are."  
  
To her surprise, Kate actually smiled. A genuine smile, not a smug cheerleader smile. "So he finally asked you out?"  
  
Lizzie blinked. "Um...yeah," she stammered, then got her voice back. "Yeah, he did. Last night."  
  
"About time." Kate swooped in and hugged Lizzie loosely. "I *told* you he liked you. Congratulations," she said softly, but when she pulled away, the hard Kate mask had returned. "But if you tell anyone about this, you'll live to regret it."  
  
"Yeah, right!" Lizzie said, in their standard bantering way, but the two girls smiled at each other briefly before Kate stalked off. Lizzie shook her head. Junior high was just so *weird*.  
  
When she got back to Gordo, Kate and Claire had already played through, and Gordo had gone down the hill to fetch his wayward ball. "What did Kate want?" Gordo inquired.  
  
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." 


	10. Uncalm

Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.  
  
Author's note: this chapter has been sitting on my computer for awhile, waiting for me to get it better. Unfortunately for you, it's short and not very good.  
I'm afraid that this fic is going to go on a hiatus. I don't know where I want the story to go, and I have several other projects I'm working on, not to mention college and my new job. I'm sorry to all the fans. You guys have been super-supportive of this, my first Lizzie fic, and if it wasn't for your praise, I probably never would have done any of my other fics.  
This *isn't* the end of "The Sweetness", though. I promise.  
Love love to you all.  
*Karasuma*Firestorm*  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
The Sweetness: Uncalm  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
Later that night, Gordo's parents had gone out for dinner, leaving him alone for the millionth time with nothing to do. Luckily, the phone rang just when he was about to experiment with different thick red food substances to see which would make the best fake blood for possible films. He let it ring three times before answering, so as not to make Lizzie --he was fairly certain it was Lizzie-- think he'd been waiting by the phone.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey, if it isn't the future Mr. McGuire."  
  
"Hi, Miranda," Gordo said, fumbling in his pocket for his hacky sack. "How's Mexico treating you?"  
  
"Apparently not as well as Hillridge is treating you," Miranda said. "Spill, Gordo, spill!"  
  
"There's nothing to spill," Gordo insisted.  
  
"Well, all of a sudden you and Lizzie are the Next Big Thing, so I'd say there's plenty."  
  
"I'm sure she's told you everything already."  
  
"I didn't think you'd ever get around to asking her out," Miranda said thoughtfully.  
  
"Wait a sec...you knew?"  
  
"Gordo, Gordo, Gordo," Miranda said, and Gordo was reminded of the way Ethan always greeted Lizzie. "You forget, I know everything."  
  
"I beg to differ. If you knew everything, I'd be begging you for study help, not the other way around."  
  
"*Very* funny, Gordo."  
  
"I should go for a career in stand-up."  
  
"So, have you gone on a date yet?" Miranda said eagerly.  
  
"Why are you bothering me about this?" Gordo whined.  
  
"Because Lizzie will just get all...you know, *Lizzie* about it. Besides, I like making you sweat. C'mon, details!"  
  
"Yeah, fine, this afternoon we went mini-golfing."  
  
"Ooh. And?"  
  
"And she flirted with Ethan Craft," Gordo said, still bitter about the whole ordeal, which was evident in his voice.  
  
"Oh no she *didn't*!" Miranda said, and her insult on his behalf was more than enough for Gordo.  
  
"Yeah, she did. But things worked themselves out, I guess." Gordo began to practice his hacking, and was working up quite a succession of hits.  
  
"Have you guys, like...kissed yet?"  
  
Gordo's foot and the hacky sack finally missed each other. Even so, he was grinning. "Yeah."  
  
"Wow."  
  
"So you've pumped me for info sufficiently now...can we talk about something else? Anything else?"  
  
"Like there's anything else to talk about! My two best friends in the universe get together, and you want to talk about the weather? I don't think so."  
  
"Please, Miranda."  
  
"Oh, I get it. You think I'm weirded out," Miranda guessed.  
  
"I never said that."  
  
"You and Lizzie think alike, because she was all afraid that I would completely alienate and hate you both. I'm seriously happy for you guys, really. I see you together all the time, so it's not like it's going to be that much different."  
  
"So you're okay with it," Gordo said.  
  
"Absolutely. Besides, with Lizzie out of the picture, that leaves Ethan free for me!" Miranda said lightly, and Gordo laughed. "Listen, Gordo, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later, okay?"  
  
"Sure thing. Bye, Miranda."  
  
"Ciao for now."  
  
They hung up, and even with Miranda's reassurances, Gordo still felt uneasy about the whole situation. They'd promised that things wouldn't change, but things couldn't always stay the same. For at least a year now Gordo had liked Lizzie, and for the past couple of months all he could think about was kissing her. And now that he had, he wanted to do it as much as possible. And he wanted to hold her hand and put his arms around her and let the entire world know that he'd finally won. He might be a hormonal teenager, but Lizzie was seriously everything to him. Everything. So that meant things *had* to change. And although Miranda promised she wasn't weirded out, he had the sinking suspicion that things wouldn't stay this way forever. 


	11. Stealing Happy Hours

Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.  
  
Author's note: back from hiatus, albeit only briefly. Hope you enjoy it. I promise, more will be coming. R/R! I love you guys!  
*Karasuma*Firestorm*  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
The Sweetness: Stealing Happy Hours  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
Three weeks into the summer, Hillridge experienced a massive rainstorm. The sky opened up and let loose its frustrations on the small California town for nearly three days straight, with accompanying thunder and lightning and what seemed like eternal darkness.  
  
The third day found Gordo and Lizzie holed up in Lizzie's bedroom, watching TV. Matt and Lanny had pirated the TV downstairs, and the DVD player, so Lizzie and Gordo were stuck with local channels, which kept fading in and out of static due to the weather.  
  
After channel flipping through the same basic stations for two minutes straight, Lizzie gave up, clicked off the TV, and threw the remote to the floor. She collapsed backwards on her bed with a loud sigh. "This is the worst day in history," she groaned dramatically.  
  
"There have been worst days in history, I'm sure," Gordo said from the floor, rolling his eyes.  
  
Lizzie flopped on her stomach and stuck her head over the edge of the mattress to stare at him. "You're not helping," she said.  
  
Gordo laughed. "When am I ever? You and Miranda might as well have the phrase 'Not helping, Gordo' tattooed on you."  
  
Lizzie giggled. "Yeah, you're right. We're so mean to you sometimes. I'm sorry."  
  
He shrugged good-naturedly, then hoisted himself off the floor and flopped onto the bed. "Nah, it's all good."  
  
Lizzie sat up. "Y'know, maybe I *should* a tattoo. Might be interesting."  
  
"What would be interesting is seeing the expression on your mom's face when she found out."  
  
"It would be something pretty," she said, tapping her chin. "Feminine."  
  
"Why does that not surprise me?"  
  
"Funny," Lizzie said, swatting his shoulder.  
  
Gordo instinctively threw his arms up and drew away from her, but he was laughing. "I meant that as a good thing! I swear!"  
  
"What's the deal, Gordo?" Lizzie taunted. "I'm too feminine for you?"  
  
"Well, I wouldn't mind if you didn't spend *every* weekend at the mall..." he hedged, and Lizzie squealed in protest. "Not true!"  
  
"Yes, true!" he said. "We spent an hour hanging out in front of the Style Shack last Saturday while you ogled this fuzzy pink thing."  
  
"It was a *sweater*, Gordo."  
  
"It was a glorified lint ball."  
  
"I happen to love that sweater! That sweater and I have a very good relationship going!"  
  
"Yeah, like you stare, and it remains unbelievably out of your price range."  
  
He was right, but Lizzie wasn't going to let him win. "You'll pay for that, David Gordon," she threatened, stretching across his body.  
  
For a brief second, Gordo thought for certain she was going to kiss him. They were in such close proximity, she couldn't not. But that moment flashed by, and next thing he knew, he was getting a faceful of down pillow.  
  
"Agh!" he coughed, then grabbed another pillow and hit her shoulder with it.  
  
Shrieking, Lizzie jumped off the bed and retreated a few steps backwards, to get better footing. Gordo clamored off the mattress on the other side, and they squared off against each other, brandishing pillows and wicked grins.  
  
"If you think I'm afraid of you, you're sorely mistaken," Lizzie said.  
  
"You will be," he promised, dodging around the foot of the bed and lunging for her like a streak of lightning. Lizzie shrieked again and tried to shield herself from the fluffy blows, ducking behind her own pillow before she realized it was arsenal.  
  
As Gordo made an overhand swing to hit her on the head, Lizzie made an accurate hit against his open abdomen, which caused him to lurch slightly. "Oh, we decided to fight back, did we?" he said, arching an eyebrow and looking amused.  
  
"You've got something coming to you," she swore, and she dove for him.  
  
They chased each other around the room frantically for several minutes, yelping, leaping over furniture, and generally having a great time. In one of her madcap hurdles over the bed, Lizzie lost her grip on her pillow and fell onto her backside, defenseless. Gordo loomed over her, wielding the pillow like he meant business. Lizzie instinctively curled up, protecting her head with her hands and half-giggling, half-yelling in protest.  
  
The pillow made its descent, inches from striking. Lizzie made herself a moving target, barreling her rolled-up body at Gordo's leg. She darted out her hand, grabbed his ankle, and pulled him to the floor in a heap.  
  
He grunted, and concerned, she leaned over him. "You okay?"  
  
Suddenly his pain-contorted face gave way to a mischievous grin, and Lizzie felt the pillow slamming into the back of her head. She fell forward onto his chest, and felt it rising and falling as he said breathlessly, "Checkmate."  
  
She giggled. "Fine, okay." She didn't move. They were finally getting comfortable in the new phase of their relationship, and therefore, this moment was good.  
  
Gordo grinned at her. "Is today still the worst day in history?" he teased.  
  
She smiled. "Nope." And she kissed him. 


	12. Leaving Babylon

Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
The Sweetness: Leaving Babylon  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
One week before school started was when Miranda finally returned from Mexico. She had lied about the date, saying she was coming three days later, so Gordo and Lizzie were sufficiently surprised when Miranda walked into Lizzie's backyard one afternoon.  
  
They'd been sprawled out under a tree by the back fence, talking about what they thought high school would be like. "You forget, I've already been," Gordo said for the millionth time. "It's not that bad, Lizzie, you're just freaking out with no good reason."  
  
"I have every good reason! Like Kate and Claire aren't bad enough, I'm going to have fully adult Kates and Claires to make my life miserable."  
  
"You're overreacting," Gordo said flippantly. "Besides, how bad could it be, when you have me?" They shared a special smile, a private smile, and were about to kiss, when a familiar voice interrupted, "And me."  
  
Gordo and Lizzie jolted comically, and Miranda burst into laughter.  
  
"You witch!" Lizzie shrieked, half indignant, half overjoyed. She jumped to her feet and flung her arms around her best friend. "You're not supposed to be here until Friday!"  
  
"Yeah, well, I lied," Miranda said with a wicked grin, reciprocating Lizzie's hug and then gracing Gordo with one. "So, I take it I'm interrupting what was about to become a major make-out session."  
  
Gordo and Lizzie blushed hotly and looked at the ground. Miranda giggled again. "Oh, you're embarrassed. How cute."  
  
Gordo rolled his eyes. "I liked it better when you weren't here," he complained.  
  
"I'll bet you did. You had Lizzie all to yourself, and now you have to share her with me."  
  
"Something like that," he admitted. Lizzie smiled at him and touched his hand. He clutched it in response.  
  
"You guys are so sweet I need to see a dentist," Miranda said.  
  
Lizzie bit her lip. "So. You're...okay with this?"  
  
"With what? That?" Miranda said, indicating their joined hands. "It's a little weird, I guess, but I'm not gonna run screaming in the other direction, if that's what you're asking."  
  
They were both visibly relieved, and she almost laughed. "Besides, with you otherwise occupied, that means I'll have Ethan all to myself."  
  
This time they all laughed.  
  
~~~~~  
  
By the time lunch of the first day rolled around, Lizzie was exhausted. For starters, high school was way harder than she'd been expecting. And if that wasn't enough, she had to deal with *everyone* asking if she and Gordo were a couple.  
  
She wasn't sure what to say anymore. People sometimes gave their congratulations, other times, pitying looks. She wasn't sure what to make of the latter.  
  
At lunch, she and Gordo were chatting over sandwiches while Miranda was in the line. And to top off what was turning out to be a long day, Claire Miller waltzed over, malice in her eyes. "Aw, so you two really *are* together," she said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "How cute."  
  
"Don't you have small animals to kill?" Gordo said, and Lizzie bit back a smile.  
  
Claire dropped the little miss innocent act like a bad habit. But instead of Gordo, who could take it, she turned her viciousness on Lizzie. "What's the matter, McGuire? Gordork was the best you could do?"  
  
Lizzie wasn't sure what to say. She wanted to fight back, but she'd never really fought back as far as Claire Miller was concerned. The retort on her tongue was that no, she *couldn't* do better than Gordo, but while she meant that in a positive way, Claire would put the worst possible spin on it. It was in her nature.  
  
So instead, Lizzie said nothing. Gordo's face clouded over, misreading her hesitation as shame, while Claire took the bait gleefully. "Isn't it sad, that the most you'll ever amount to in life is being David Gordon's girlfriend," she sneered. "I mean, the only thing he's got going for him is that he's smart...pity you can't match up to that, even. Oh well. Ciao!" she said with a fake apologetic smile, then pranced off.  
  
"She's such a witch," Lizzie muttered, popping the tab on her soda, uncertain as to whether the angry hiss! was coming from the can or from her. She glanced to Gordo for sympathy, but he was glowering at her.  
  
"What?" Lizzie said.  
  
"You couldn't even stand up for me," he said quietly.  
  
"What?" Lizzie repeated. "Gordo! You don't care what she thinks."  
  
"No, I don't. But that's not the point. The point is that you're ashamed to be with me. You flirt with Ethan Craft in front of me--"  
  
"That was months ago," she defended herself.  
  
"--and you didn't even *try* to defend me to Claire."  
  
"Gordo, I'm sorry, I--" she started, but he stood up.  
  
"Save it. I'm not in the mood right now."  
  
As Gordo stalked away, Miranda sat down, oblivious to the showdown she'd missed. "What's up?" she said cheerfully, stabbing at a piece of lettuce.  
  
Lizzie watched her boyfriend go, not knowing whether she should follow him or give him space. "Everything's pretty much down now," she said sadly. 


	13. Running

Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.  
  
Author's note:  
  
Alastar - yeah, he does seem awfully insecure, doesn't he? Poor Gordo. I had a whole answer written for you here, but I ended up turning it into a chapter... ^_^;;  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
The Sweetness: Running  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
Gordo shuffled into his science class and sat in the back. When he'd first gotten his schedule and had seen all of the 'smart' classes he was in, he was worried that he wouldn't get to see Lizzie as much as he had in middle school, when they had every class together. Of course, now it was looking like a bit of a godsend, considering he was so angry he could barely see straight.  
  
He didn't know who he was madder at. Claire, for being her usual dirky self, Lizzie, for not sticking up for him, or himself, for even caring.  
  
What he'd told her was true, he couldn't care less what Claire Miller thought of him. He found her vapid, obnoxious, mean, and a variety of other unpleasant adjectives. As far as he was concerned, Claire thinking he was scum was a point in his favor.  
  
But the fact of the matter remained that Lizzie had just sat there and accepted Claire's taunts. No "Lay off Gordo, he's a sweet guy." Of course, she probably wouldn't have said those things when they were just best friends, but it seemed more important now that she was his girlfriend. She was supposed to be...supportive. Loving. Proud.  
  
Gordo wanted to shout to the world that he had finally asked her out, that Lizzie had actually said yes, that they were together, a couple, a thing, an item. He held her hand as much as he could, he kissed her as often as he dared. He was just *so freaking proud*.  
  
It obviously wasn't the same for Lizzie. For Gordo, this had been a huge deal. He'd had a crush on Lizzie for a year consciously, maybe even longer. Going out with Lizzie had seemed like the impossible dream, that a girl as wonderful and beautiful and essentially perfect as Lizzie McGuire would actually agree to go out with David Gordon, her dorky best friend. So her saying yes, saying that she liked him too, that was a huge deal. Huge.  
  
So why did it seem like Lizzie wasn't that enthused to be dating him? Flirting with Ethan, bringing up her past relationships, taking Claire's crap, it was almost like she was *trying* to sabotage their relationship.  
  
Or maybe he was.  
  
Gordo was awfully quick to jump on Lizzie for all of this, when it was really just Lizzie being Lizzie. She spoke without thinking, she almost never stood up to Claire, and she flirted with Ethan because she'd been doing it for two years and it was hard to get out of her system. He knew this. He knew this, and yet he still thought she was out to get him.  
  
So what was his problem?  
  
At the front of the room, the teacher launched into his welcome to chemistry, you freshman scum speech. But Gordo wasn't listening, he was staring absently at a blank page in his notebook, mulling over his relationship drama.  
  
His parents were psychologists, so he had the preliminary (although completely undesired) training to figure this one out.  
  
He loved Lizzie. *Loved* her, although the depth of his feelings was something he'd only just admitted to himself and sure as hell wasn't going to tell her anytime soon. They were in high school, they weren't supposed to be in love.  
  
But he was.  
  
Okay, so he loved her, and didn't want to lose her. And there was the deep fear that he was going to lose her as a best friend if they went too far with this boyfriend-girlfriend stuff. Not that he didn't want to be her boyfriend -- he just still wanted to be her best friend. And he was worried that they'd lose sight of what they were if they got in too deeply.  
  
Gordo frowned at the tiny parallel blue lines. He wasn't making sense anymore. He was getting mad at Lizzie because he was subconsciously hoping to break up with her in order to preserve their upstanding friendship. That was the basic gist of it, right?  
  
But he didn't *want* to break up with her. Especially over stupid crap like Claire Miller.  
  
"David Gordon? David Gordon?"  
  
Gordo blinked, and drew his eyes up to the front of the room. "Uh, yeah?" he coughed, caught off guard.  
  
"I take it you're here," the teacher said with a look that was both condescending and amused.  
  
"Yeah, definitely here," Gordo said, ignoring the titter going around the room and bowing his head over his notebook once more. He had to apologize to Lizzie. She didn't deserve him flying off the handle at her every five minutes.  
  
He wondered what to say to her. Sometimes talking with Lizzie was the easiest thing in the universe, like he was talking to himself, and sometimes it was like he was saying his first words, uncertain about the language and himself. It had been like that ever since he'd first realized he had a crush on her. Like saying something, no matter how innocent, would unintentionally reveal his true feelings for her. He was still afraid of Freudian slips, even now that they were together.  
  
Together. It was such a great word, now that it applied to him and Lizzie. Involuntarily, a grin crossed his face, and he ended up smiling goofily at the lined pages of his notebook for the rest of the period, never looking up, never taking a word the teacher said in. He didn't even know the teacher's *name*.  
  
When the bell rang, he gathered up his things with everyone else, and was just climbing out of his seat when someone tapped his shoulder.  
  
Gordo turned, and found himself facing Tudgeman.  
  
"Hey, Gordo."  
  
"Oh. Um, hey, Tudgeman. I didn't know you were in this class."  
  
Tudgeman stared at him, nonplussed. "I was sitting two seats in front of you."  
  
Gordo blinked at him. Tudgeman shook his head. "Well, big surprise there, no one notices Larry."  
  
Hmm. Sounded familiar. "Naw, c'mon, Larry. You're...well, you're *Tudgeman*. Everyone notices you." Whether they want to or not, he added mentally. "I was just...distracted, is all. Speaking of which, did I miss anything major?"  
  
"Only the entire periodic table, which we're going to have a test on tomorrow," Tudgeman said.  
  
Gordo's jaw dropped. "Uh oh."  
  
Larry laughed gleefully. "Nah, just messing with you. We didn't really do anything. Mr. Erikson--" So that was his name! "--just passed out rubrics and talked about the grading system and stuff. Oh, and said we had to pick lab partners by next class. So, um," Larry coughed, looking nervous and very non-Tudgeman, "wanna be my partner?"  
  
"Yeah, sure, why not," Gordo said, grateful that it was with someone he knew rather than...anyone else. Larry Tudgeman wasn't his first choice for a lab partner, but that was only because he'd been partnering with Lizzie all through middle school, and the president of the Star Wars fan club just couldn't compare to your beautiful girlfriend, no matter what.  
  
"So, I heard that you and Lizzie are a thing," Larry said as they walked out of class.  
  
"Where'd you hear that from?"  
  
"From Lizzie," he answered simply. Gordo stopped dead and stared at his lab partner. "Yeah, we're in first period together, and we got to talking, and she told me that you two hooked up over the summer. I've never seen Lizzie look so happy. You're a lucky man, my compadre. You've succeeded where others have failed. Namely, me."  
  
So Lizzie *was* happy to be with him. She was proud to be with him. She was telling people. Gordo grinned. "Listen, Tudgeman, I hate to cut this short, but I've gotta go do something really quick. See you in class tomorrow. And thanks!" he yelled over his shoulder, running down the hallway. 


	14. I'll Be Here Awhile

Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.  
  
Author's note: I think this might actually be it for The Sweetness. It's not that I'm not enjoying the story, but I just feel like this is a good stopping place. Maybe I'll start it up again at some point, or do a sequel...who knows? All in all, I'd say that this was pretty successful for my first Lizzie fanfiction, and thanks to you guys for your love and support. It seems like all of my best sagas (best IMO, this, The Worst That Could Happen) are coming to an end, but it'll give me more time to work on new things. ::entices you with new things...ooh, shiny...::  
  
Author's note dos: I never mentioned this before, but the title has no special significance, I just happened to be listening to "The Sweetness" by Jimmy Eat World when I was naming it...  
  
Also, the chapter titles are all names of songs by 311.  
  
*Karasuma*Firestorm*  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
The Sweetness: I'll Be Here Awhile  
  
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
Lizzie tapped her pencil eraser against her notebook cover. She should've been paying attention to the teacher, but it wasn't like he was saying anything important anyway, and besides, she had more pressing things to think about.  
  
Like Gordo.  
  
What exactly had she done to make Gordo so mad?  
  
More like, what she *hadn't* done. It would be so much easier if she could just start middle school from square one. Not letting Kate and Claire get to her, not ever fall for Ethan, realize just how important Gordo was to her, and then they could have been together ages ago, and not have to deal with all of this drama.  
  
Or maybe this was a sign that they weren't supposed to be together.  
  
Lizzie wasn't sure that she believed in fate, that was more Miranda's thing, but it definitely seemed like someone above was conspiring to drive a wedge between her and Gordo.  
  
They'd made all sorts of promises, but if they failed as a couple, could they ever *really* get back to being best friends again? It would just never be the same. Lizzie didn't regret taking that next step, not in a million years. She loved Gordo, she really did, as a best friend, as a person, and she was just beginning to think that maybe she was falling in love with him. She didn't want to screw this up.  
  
Too late for that.  
  
Three strikes and she was out, right?  
  
Well, she had one more to go, she figured, and knowing her tendency to mess things up, intentionally or not, it wouldn't be long before she got that third strike.  
  
There was a knock at the door, and every head swiveled to look at it. "Come in," the teacher said, and a scrawny little freshman kid poked his head and arm through, brandishing a piece of paper. "I'm s'posed to deliver this," he said, sounding much younger than fourteen, or maybe that was just a side effect of having the entire room staring at him.  
  
The teacher accepted the note, and the kid ducked out. She glanced at the note, and then at the roster, and then at Lizzie. Instantly, Lizzie felt her face flushing. Please don't be me, she thought, please not me, please, please, please...  
  
"Lizzie McGuire?" she asked questioningly, and Lizzie sunk in her seat slightly as the eyes now turned to her. "You're wanted at the newspaper office."  
  
Lizzie frowned. The newspaper office? That was...weird. Well, it was better than the principal's office, at least. "Um, I...I don't know where that is," she said.  
  
"First floor, room 100A. Next to the staircase."  
  
"Mhmm, thanks," Lizzie said, fighting to control her reddening cheeks and failing. She shoved her possessions in her backpack, threw it over one shoulder, snatched the note from the teacher's hand, and went into the hallway.  
  
"One-hundred A, one-hundred A..." Lizzie muttered, glancing at the note to confirm the number. She walked down the staircase, looked to her left, and saw the room. "Well, that was lucky." Swallowing hard, she turned the knob and stepped tentatively in. "Hi, I got a note to come here..?" she asked, but the room was empty.  
  
"Oh, so I did get the right room." Or not. There was a row of computers by the back wall, and Gordo's familiar curly head popped up from behind one. "Hey," he said, smiling at her.  
  
"Gordo!" Lizzie smiled despite her surprise and confusion. "What're..? I got a note..."  
  
"Yeah, I sent that. I wanted to talk to you."  
  
"So you hijacked the newspaper office and forged a note?"  
  
"Yup." He smiled at her proudly.  
  
"The things you'll do for a girl..." Lizzie marveled, shaking her head. Then she remembered that Gordo was mad at her. "Listen, Gordo, about what happened at lunch..." She bit her lip, unsure of how to explain herself.  
  
He waved at her. "Don't worry about it. I was thinking, and it's just not important. I *know* you care about me, Lizzie, you don't have to attack Claire Miller to prove it."  
  
"But I should've, Gordo. Because I am proud to be your girlfriend. I don't care what Claire thinks, I don't care what anyone thinks. She's wrong, you know, because you're such a cool guy, and..." Lizzie sighed. "I dunno. I just...I'm sorry, Gordo. I know I'm a horrible girlfriend, but you have to believe me when I say that I'm really happy we're together. Honestly. Because..." She looked down, embarrassed. *Why* she was embarrassed, she didn't quite know. Maybe because they were so young, but all the same, she knew what she felt. "Because I love you."  
  
"Lizzie..."  
  
"No, let me finish. I know you think I'm just this ditzy girl and I'll fall for anybody that holds still long enough, but those were just crushes, and this is the really thing. I know it is. I can feel it. I love you, Gordo."  
  
Gordo got up, walked over, and hugged her. "Lizzie, I don't think you're ditzy. Okay? You can be shallow sometimes, and you have your blond moments, true, but you're really smart and you think with your heart and I know you mean well."  
  
Lizzie couldn't help it, a few tears escaped down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Gordo."  
  
"Don't be sorry. It's not your fault. I shouldn't have gotten mad. I'm sorry. You're my best friend, and your my girlfriend, and I'm so happy to just have you in my life. I love you, too."  
  
Lizzie, still crying, smiled through her tears and kissed him. Everything was going to work out okay, after all. "So I love you and you love me," she said. "What now?"  
  
He shrugged. "I dunno. Get married?"  
  
They both laughed and Lizzie hit his shoulder. "It's only the first day of high school, Gordo, I think that can wait."  
  
"Oh. Well. Get back to class, then?"  
  
"Do we have to?" Lizzie pouted, kissing him softly.  
  
Gordo tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I *do* have you for the rest of the period..."  
  
Lizzie grinned and kissed him again. Something told her that they were stronger now, better than they'd ever been. She had high hopes, and she almost wished that Claire Miller would walk in the room at that moment, just so Lizzie could ream her out. Gordo loved her, he really loved her, and he was giving her a second chance. He cared and he trusted her and things were just perfect. 


End file.
